The FC Cincinnati Academy makes the trek down to Florida this week to compete in the Generation adidas Cup, hosted at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. With the tournament kicking off on Friday, March 27, two FC Cincinnati Academy teams are set to compete in the international youth event.
Better known as The GA Cup, the tournament is regarded as one of the most competitive youth events in not only the United States, but the world over, offering academy players a chance to showcase their skill and development in a tournament style format.
“The GA cup is really the premier international tournament in the US now,” Larry Sunderland, FC Cincinnati Director of Player Development, said ahead of the tournament. “It's really an opportunity for MLS teams to kind of judge themselves against the best academies in the world.”
“Obviously you're looking at individuals there and trying to rate your individuals against everybody else's individuals. But then from team concepts, now we start to look at how we’re playing compared to the other academies in Europe or Asia or South America. Every year it's some of the top academies in the world, so it's a really good litmus test for us.”
In years past the tournament was geared towards the U18 age group, but this season the tournament was altered to host exclusively a U15 and U16 event. The switch highlighted a change for the academy process that now allows for an earlier identification point for young players.
“We didn't feel like the competition at U18 was reflective of what we really needed it to be. That's why it went younger,” Sunderland explained as to the reason for the change.
The GA Cup is the marquee event on the calendar for the FC Cincinnati Academy and begins the run of events leading into the end of the season for the two teams who are attending. While MLS action runs from January to December (for now), the Academy calendar runs congruent with the academic school year, meaning the season is coming to an end.
This tournament then serves as a true test of your quality, with the priority being on performance and results.
“This is a competition. As opposed to our regular season games and some of the other events we may be in (where) obviously winning is always important, but we can focus on development, looking at different things on the field,” Sunderland added. “The GA Cup is legit. You're putting your best guys out there, and you're playing to win a tournament.”
With the tournament now being targeted to a younger age bracket, the focus becomes more of one geared in early player identification and recognition. With the oldest age group being U16, it is an opportunity to see who may be ready to compete at a higher level and who may need some additional development.
“For a lot of these guys, not just our academy, but all academy (players), it’s ‘who are the guys that are ready to make the jump to the pro level',” said Dave Schureck, FC Cincinnati’s Academy Coordinator. “The only time we really get to measure ourselves against other countries is a tournament of this magnitude.”
The Orange and Blue have seen plenty of success at this tournament before, both at the individual player level, and the team level. In 2024 both U15 and U17 teams secured spots in the Championship Bracket of the tournament, the first time in FCC Academy history teams had done so.
Several notable FCC first and second team players have also featured in the tournament in past years. Stefan Chirila, Andrei Chirila and Ademar Chavez all competed in the tournament in recent years, with Stefan Chirila earning Golden Boot honors after scoring five goals in the 2024 tournament.
Every year the GA Cup presents an opportunity for young players to prove themselves and catapult themselves into the eyes of the soccer world. With international scouts from around the globe and all of MLS present, the tournament provides a platform for both players and clubs to elevate their profile. Stefan Chirila’s 2024 campaign, for example, did just that as not only did he sign a first team contract with FC Cincinnati, he has been a regular call up to the Romanian U19 National Team ever since.
“Every year somebody shows up that maybe they needed this environment to thrive and prove themselves. Maybe they needed to be switched on by the competition ,” Shureck added of how the event can be a catalyst for some young players. “But for the club also, if we do well. That helps us in attracting players, coaches, staff, everything. Success raises the whole club level.”
The GA Cup kicks off on March 27 and will carry on through April 4. FC Cincinnati kicks off the tournament with matches against CT United FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For more information on the schedule, click here.
